Handheld barcode scanners are electronic devices used to read, or scan, barcodes and/or other information from packages or other items. Handheld barcode scanners may be used in retail, factory, or other environments by employees, contractors, personnel or other such users to scan barcodes or other information from retail packages or other items, and may be used in applications ranging from retail sales, inventory management, shipping and tracking, and for a variety of other applications. The design, manufacture, and/or costs associated with the handheld barcode scanners can create problems inefficiencies. This is because, in order to design and manufacture typical handheld scanners, such scanners can require additional hardware or features, such as multiple printed circuit boards (PCBs) to accommodate the handheld design. For example, the additional hardware or features can result in increased complexity and time to design and build the handheld scanner. The complex design may also increase the cost to manufacture and assemble the scanner. For example, in typical designs, handheld barcode scanners include multiple components, such as PCBs, various connectors, cables or ribbons, and various other interconnections that may be required for the multiple components to work together in order to implement the scanning and imaging functionality of the handheld scanner. These types of complex designs typically result in increased manufacturing and assembly costs to produce the handheld barcode scanner, because of the per-unit cost of each of the multiple components (e.g., multiple PCBs, connectors, etc.) that make up the handheld barcode scanner, and because of the labor costs associated with assembling such multiple components to produce the barcode scanner.
Another concern becomes particularly evident when the practical aspects of scanner-housing manufacturing processes are taken into consideration. It is common to manufacture scanner housings via plastic molding techniques that require handle portions to be slid off a mold along a discharge axis, especially in cases of unitary/monocoque construction. This results in difficulties in terms of providing structural support for scanner's internal components when those components are angled relative to the discharge axis.
Accordingly, there is a need for solutions that decrease the design complexity and costs associated with the make and manufacture of handheld barcode scanners, and further for making these improvements in combination with maintaining or increasing robustness.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.